Ankle sprains are common injuries that often occur during sports activities. Sprained ankles are usually wrapped with an ace bandage for immobilizing the ankle at least partially while the sprain heals. It usually takes a few weeks for an ankle sprain to heal. More severe ankle sprains are usually taped or placed in a cast. Use of an ace bandage to immobilize an ankle sprain suffers a number of disadvantages. Wrapping with an ace bandage can be harmful with nonprofessional wrapping. Moreover, it is often necessary to unwrap and later re-wrap an ace bandage, and so professional wrapping is not easily available every time the ankle must be wrapped.
In many sports injuries, an ankle sprain requires more support than can be provided by an ace bandage. With severe sprains that are not placed in a cast, the trainer often tapes the ankle to provide additional support for protecting against stress placed on the ankle joint. In this way, a player can often continue playing or practicing on a sprained ankle. The trainer must be careful to protect against taping the ankle so tightly that circulation is cut off. Thus, taping the ankle should only be done by someone with professional training.
The present invention provides a composite orthosis that overcomes the disadvantages of using ace bandages or taping to immobilize an injured joint. The orthosis of this invention provides a reasonably stiff means of lateral support for the joint which provides better support than an ace bandage. In addition, the orthosis can be applied without the professional wrapping necessary for ace bandages. Thus, the protection provided is not inherent in the skillfulness of the wrapping. The orthosis is particularly useful for sports injuries, since it provides the additional lateral support for the injured joint. As a result, the orthosis can be used in place of taping. With sports injuries that must be placed in a cast, the player can come out of the cast early and use the orthosis of this invention when practicing or playing. The advantages of the present invention are provided for a number of injuries, such as sprains to the ankle, wrist, knee, or elbow, for example.